Knott's Berry Farm Update: HangTime Getting High

It may be after Christmas, but that doesn't mean we're going to stop giving (...updates that is; although actually, next month, we'll be taking a bit of a break as I go on vacation). Today, we venture to good ol' Knott's Berry--erm, technically, still Merry Farm to primarily take a look at how next year's big roller coaster addition is shaping up. And as long as we're there, we'll take a look around to take in the holiday evening ambiance too. Sound good? Great!

(Also, today's update title is sponsored by Towelie.)

HangTime Construction

When we last stopped by a month ago, HangTime had gone vertical, but only the lift hill, part of the first drop, and assorted columns. Well, that has changed in a hurry over the past 30-something days, as an assort of inversions, banked turns, and hills have gone up, giving guests a better feel at how sizeable this coaster is going to be! There's still a good amount of coaster layout to go, of course, but a lot of the major elements have been erected (teehee) or are rounding into shape. We can get a sense of how far toward the Sky Tower the track will reach and really see how condensed the layout will intertwine. This is shaping up to be a very fun ride, and I'm starting to get excited for next summer!

Oh hey, we're back at Knott's, and a wild roller coaster has appeared!

Well, okay, it appeared at least couple of months ago, but it's evolving now!

The lift hill has topped off.

And they're even starting structure for the station and queue.

Using our powerful X-Ray Vision ability, we see that they're laying concrete masonry unit blocks around the station area.

Here's a close-up for all you CMU enthusiasts.

...and Guy Selga... just cuz.

This will be where you get on the train.

You can see the final brake run on the far side, next to Lakeside cafeteria.

There's a bunch of twisty bits up now too!

Including parts that get close to the ground!

Here's the bottom of the first drop.

In fact, the whole first drop is complete now.

Trains will momentarily be braked to a standstill just after the crest of the hill, at the diagonally sloping part, before being released to plummet down the beyond 90-degree drop.

Can't send the train down quite yet. That would result in an Roller Coaster Tycoon-style accident of exaggerated proportions.

But they're not putting the track up in order, as you can see. Inversions and turns down the line have already gone up.

It's pretty cool to see this twisted and not-yet-complete tangle of track right now.

And some up it up close! There's not a ton of clearance between parts of the course and the work walls!

Here's a closer look at the first inversion of the ride, an Immelman that sends riders hurtling back in the direction of the lift hill.

Yes, that lift hill.

There will be some great, photogenic opportunities once everything is done!

Although the construction site looks photogenic enough at various points of what's already been installed.

Yup, that's 96-degrees of fury right there. As in the angle of drop past the horizontal.

Lets look at the first loop from the other side.

After the first drop, the train will race up a twisting hill before banking downward into a non-inverting dive "loop." The actual inversion comes on the way up this segment.

On the left is the start of the next hill after the first drop. On the right, partially obscured by the supports, is the downward half of the second inversion, an oversized corkscrew element.

Continuing around, we can see the start of the non-inverting dive after the second hill, leading to the first true loop.

Sexy curves there... sexy curves.

You can see the roller coaster towering over Boardwalk BBQ.

Even though it doesn't feel like a full sized "big boy" roller coaster from the likes of B&M or Intamin, this is still a very sizeable ride!

It definitely dramatically changes the Knott's Berry Farm skyline.

The Immelman continues to the left, off photo.

Just beyond it, you can see part of the boomerang/cobra roll (depending on what you want to all it) element that marks the last two inversions of the ride.

Lift hill from the Log Ride side.

That's a lot of track!

And more to come.

Finally, a panorama from Coast Rider of what's up so far.

Around The Boardwalk

Elsewhere, Xcelerator remains closed for an extended period of time. The issue is mechanical, as the park is apparently waiting for a specific part to come in. We've seen these unexpected and prolonged down times for the popular roller coaster before, usually related to the hydraulic launch mechanism and cable structure. And while at 15 years, this Intamin Rocket Coaster isn't exactly old, it's no spring chicken either. Here's hoping for a timely return as soon as possible in 2018.

Also, the afternoon skies were pretty on Saturday, so here are a bunch of scenic photos from The Boardwalk, which really enhance its ambiance!

Xcelerator: still closed. Opening to be determined.

But hey, sunset at the Boardwalk area has been pretty lately!

This is typically the case this time of year.

Late November and through December tends to correspond with more dramatic sunsets in Southern California.

This wasn't even among the best we've had this month, but it was still quite pretty.

The dramatic skies add to the feel of the Boardwalk area, giving it a greater sense of beachside romance.

Much better than Perilous Plunge.

The scene over at Johnny Rockets.

Lovely textures in the clouds.

You don't get much more Southern California than pretty skies and palm tree silhouettes.

Camp Snoopy During the Holidays

We covered all the festivities of Knott's Merry Farm earlier this month, and hopefully, you've had a chance to visit the Farm to partake. Although a majority of the entertainment and decorations are clustered in and around Ghost Town, Camp Snoopy brings its own charm during the holidays, especially after dark. It is one of the simple pleasures of life to just stroll through this Peanuts-themed area, enjoying the vintage, colorful Christmas lights, while the smooth, jazzy, holiday tones of Vince Guaraldi emanate through the air. It's delightfully magical.

I had photos last year, but I didn't have really any nighttime photos from Camp Snoopy during Knott's Merry Farm this year.

But it's a lovely environment to wander through this time of year.

And sure, Christmas may be over.

But that Peanuts charm is timeless.

And these photos don't really do justice to the ambiance around this neck of the woods. A wholly different ambiance from The Hollow!

But just as alluring--only for different reasons.

Ghost Town During the Holidays

Of course, Ghost Town is no slouch in the atmospheric department, especially now that it is brightly light up during the Christmas season. The most immersive part of the day occurs during twilight, when those deep, luscious blue hour skies provide a show in and of themselves.

Sunset over the Pony Express.

Blue hour descends on Ghost Town, in advance of the first Glow and Snow moment of the evening.

The skies are not quite dark, but the streets are already lit up.

It's a unique and magical moment each evening in the park.

It's lovely just outside the entrance to Ghost Town too.

Oooooooo...

Across the main entrance.

The post-sunset skies getting a bit of cotton candy in them.

Silver Bullet made for a good subject under these colors.

Especially when a train whizzed by.

Good night, Knott's! Until next year!

That does it from the Farm! This may or may not be the last update of the year, depending on if I have some time to cook up a continuation of our Shanghai Disneyland guide or if Jim has something special cooked up (possibly involving Porgs). In case this is, it's been one very eventful year, both within Westcoaster and without, and we hope you've enjoyed the ride. If you have, my name is Albert, and I'll see you next year. If you haven't, then what the heck are you doing wasting your time still reading this blog?